Action heats up at the BNP Paribas Open on Friday, as the seeds come out to play for the first time. 

Which matches stand out? Narrowing it down is tough, but here are five that are sure to entertain:

Alexander Zverev vs. Tallon Griekspoor

Not much scouting is needed for these two. They’ve met seven times, with four coming last year alone. Alexander Zverev leads 6-1 overall but the German hasn’t strolled past the 43rd-ranked Dutchman. Last year, for example, Tallon Griekspoor led Zverev 4-1 in the fifth set — two breaks — at the French Open before Zverev edged a final set tiebreak and went on to make the final.

And twelve months ago in Tennis Paradise, the big-serving Griekspoor had the first two set points when they squared off in the second round. When he didn’t take them, his racquet paid a heavy price.

While Griekspoor just made the semifinals in Dubai — having saved match points in the first round — Zverev owns a 4-3 record since losing the Australian Open final to Jannik Sinner.

Getting sick hasn’t helped Zverev, who is the top seed in Sinner’s absence. “I still feel positive,” said Zverev. “I still think I had a good
start to the season. If you look back at Australia, I reached another Grand Slam final. But of course, I want to find my rhythm again and I want to win tennis matches again.”

Iga Swiatek vs. Caroline Garcia

Iga Swiatek chases a third title in the desert, but her path seems especially tricky, since all the seeds around her have topped the Pole.

That being said, Swiatek does own a combined winning record against them. The unseeded Caroline Garcia has also defeated Swiatek, happens to be a former top five player and is no stranger to beating top 10 players on US soil.

Much has been made about Swiatek not making any finals since winning last year’s French Open but the second seed doesn’t seem overly concerned.

“I also couldn't play all of the tournaments,” said Swiatek, who late last season accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for a banned substance. “I accept how my situation looks like, and for sure I work hard to improve and to have chances to win tournaments. But my year after Roland Garros wasn't so easy and smooth as usual. I'm not judging myself and no one should.”

Daniil Medvedev vs. Yunchaokete Bu 

Like Swiatek, Daniil Medvedev entered Indian Wells without appearing in a final for a while. In his case, since last year in Indian Wells. 

The 2021 US Open champion told reporters this week that he was confident some of his tough losses this year would eventually turn into wins. 

“If I manage to continue the same way, good results are going to come, because, yeah, the level was better and better every week,” said the fifth seed, beaten by Carlos Alcaraz in the past two finals in the desert. “So try to do the same here in Indian Wells.”

Making his debut in the desert on Wednesday, China’s Yunchaokete Bu overcame Next Gen Californian Nishesh Basavareddy in straight sets. Hitting with plenty of power from the baseline, Bu had a breakout 2024, cracking the top 100, making back-to-back semifinals during the Asian swing and topping Andrey Rublev — Medvedev’s good friend — for a maiden top 10 victory. 

He can’t stop facing top 10 players at the moment, exiting against Taylor Fritz in Delray Beach and Zverev in Rio. Both times, losing a first-set tiebreak made his task more difficult. 

Frances Tiafoe vs. Damir Dzumhur 

A huge fan of the Washington Commanders, what was Frances Tiafoe doing wearing a Philadelphia Eagles cap as he walked on court for practice this week at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden? 

He said he lost a bet to Tommy Paul. 

“Big Foe” hopes to avoid losing on Friday and his recent record in Indian Wells suggests he’ll get the win — 2019 was the last time Tiafoe departed in his opener. 

But the 2023 semifinalist — and perennial fan favorite — is yet to take off this season, evidenced by a 4-4 record and no quarterfinals. 

Damir Dzumhur, on the other hand, is rediscovering the form that saw him climb to No. 23 in 2018. Ranked 155th this time last year, six Challenger titles in 2024 prompted a top 100 return. 

When the 32-year-old beat Roberto Bautista Agut in the first round in a third-set tiebreak, he also collected a first Masters win since the 2021 Miami Open. 

If he has time to hit them, Tiafoe can expect more than a few forehand drop shots from Dzumhur in the pair’s first duel. 

Jessica Pegula vs. Magda Linette 

US tennis is in a healthy spot. In just one metric, a total of 18 players sit inside the top 50 in both the men’s and women’s rankings. So could this be the year a home player ends the title drought on the women’s side that dates back to 2001? 

“To get an American to win it I think would only grow that exposure of tennis in the US, which would be really, really cool, just because we’re in the US,” said Jessica Pegula. “And I feel like the whole town and city here just kind of revolves around this event, especially during these couple of weeks.”

Pegula has to be considered a contender. She ended her Grand Slam quarterfinal hoodoo by making the final at the US Open and won a title in Austin last week. 

Pegula might especially be keen to win on Friday — she’s 2-0 against Magda Linette, the 2023 Australian Open semifinalist — since the 31-year-old lost her opener last year against Anna Blinkova.